Oprah Winfrey became emotional — and even cried — while talking to Barbara Walters about her long-time best friend Gayle King, all the while denying rumors the two have been in a gay relationship for years, saying she’s “not lesbian … not even kinda lesbian. ”

Asked by Walters about her relationship with King, Winfrey was careful, yet emotional, with her words; after an awkwardly long pause, Winfrey said, “She is …. the mother I never had. She is the sister everyone would want. She is the friend that everyone deserves.